Chapter Nine – Danita
The road had turned from pavement to gravel some time ago, but the jolting ride was over now. Danita pulled her truck between two low-hanging branches from an elderberry tree. She hadn't expected to end up in the middle of the bush when she plugged the address McGrath had given her into her GPS. But that was probably his plan. If she tried to change her mind and run, or scream for help, or anything else, there wasn't anyone to help her.
This is for the boys, she reminded herself, getting out of the truck. I can do this to save their lives.
A neat little cabin was tucked into the maples and scrub brush. It looked somewhat old and overgrown, but it was clear that McGrath had been here recently, cleaning it up. The freshly painted rail on the wraparound porch attested to that. The cabin was built from logs, a pretty yellow-grey color, and the door had a stained glass rose window set into it.
Danita tried not to think about how many other victims McGrath had brought here before her. It was very isolated. What if he planned to murder her? There would be plenty of places to hide her body. He could have a graveyard just behind the cabin easy enough!
The thought almost made her bolt back into the truck and leave, but she steeled herself and grabbed her weekend bag. If he had a habit of murdering people, Ryan and Killian would have told her, wouldn't they?
They didn't know I was coming.
She pushed that thought aside. He wasn't planning on killing her.
Inside, the cabin was bright and open, with a single room as the kitchen and living room, divided by a stone hearth that went from floor to ceiling. Everything smelled like pine sol. But it was empty.
"Hello?"
She looked around. Had she gotten the right address?
The light creak of a floorboard made Danita turn. McGrath was right behind her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. She jumped and backed away from him, her heart pounding in her throat. She couldn’t breathe as she stared at him, adrenaline flooding her system. Every instinct she had told her to fight him, run away and drive off.
He was a predator, and she was his prey.
"There you are." He reached out and brushed her hair from her face. "I was beginning to think you had changed your mind."
At that moment, Danita wished that she had. Her stomach clenched and she was sure that if he touched her again, no matter how innocently, she would end up vomiting all over him. Her legs felt wobbly as she set her bag on the floor.
"I have to bring some other things in from the truck." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper as she tried to edge around him.
McGrath caught her arms. "I don't think so. Do I look like I'm an idiot? Those two Bears went to the Lion for permission to kill me. You didn't think I'd let them get away with that, do you?"
"N-no!" She shook her head and wrenched herself free of his grasp. "They were just going to ask if he would stop you. They weren't going to ask to kill you."
"You're foolish to think that. They won't stop until I'm dead. So run, Miss Valdez. Run as hard as you can. When I catch you, I'm going to tear your throat out and leave your body for your precious Bears to find."
Danita stumbled back, her heart pounding. Her eyes widened as she stared at McGrath. He meant every word that he was saying. "They don't know where I went. They don't know I'm here."
"After I'm finished with you, I'll send them the coordinates. Now run–wait." McGrath tilted his head and his gaze swept down her body. "I still want a taste. Put on that little white number that I gave you, and then you can run."
No. He was going to kill her, and there was no way she was going down without a fight. She had made a deal with him to save her boys. If he wasn’t going to agree to his end, no way in hell would she consider letting him touch her. Danita clenched her fists, feeling the steel rise up her spine.
McGrath's gaze never moved. "Well?"
"It's in my bag," she replied.
Slowly, she bent over to grab it. She sucked in a deep breath and snapped up, swinging the bag at McGrath. He jumped back, but not fast enough. The bag hit him in the head. Danita sprang forward, slamming her palm to his nose. He cried out, stumbling. She punched him hard in the stomach and ran.
She had just made it down the front steps when a scream from behind her made her stumble. She turned to see a giant Leopard charge through the door. His fur shone with gold, the dark pattern was like midnight against the noon sun. He was easily as tall as she was. Danita ducked, just missing the massive paws that swiped at her face. The Leopard landed lightly, turning on a dime. He crouched on the ground, snarling at her.
Danita scrambled to the left, but the Leopard leaped lithely to block her. He advanced a step. She fell back one. His tail and whiskers twitched. This wasn't the end of his game. It was just the beginning.
"Please," she begged despite herself. "Please don't do this."
McGrath made a noise that sounded like a chuckle–and Danita heard the roaring of a vehicle. As the Leopard's head whipped around, she scrambled to her feet and ran. McGrath pounced on her. Fiery pain coursed through her shoulder and neck, and then he was gone. She saw him disappear into the trees.
Hot blood coursed through her body. Her head spun as the pain increased. An earth-shattering roar made her wince. Then a honey-brown Bear, easily twice as large as McGrath, ran past her.
Ryan. Danita stared after him in amazement. How had he found her? She tried to push herself up but the agony shot through her again, and she made herself lay still. The world tilted and swayed. Her eyes closed tightly, hanging to what little shreds of consciousness she still had.
Big, strong hands stroked her hair. They probed her neck and shoulder. The wound throbbed and she whimpered.
"Shh, Dani. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay." Killian's calm voice wrapped her up in its embrace.
"Ryan," she whimpered.
"The Leopard doesn't have a chance against him. Just stay still. I don't think that it was a major wound, but I still have to clean you up and stop the bleeding."
Killian gently rolled her over before gathering her in his arms. He headed into the cabin. Nausea swirled everywhere in Danita's body, otherwise, she would have protested. She didn't want to be here, to imagine what might have happened.
But Killian was right. They needed to take care of this. He would protect her.
He set her down on the couch and got to work. Danita didn’t know if she fell unconscious or he was just that quick, but the next thing she knew, her nausea had subsided and the pain had diminished. Killian taped some gauze to her neck and nodded, as though satisfied with his work.
"Take this." He pressed a pill into her hand.
"What is it?"
"Painkiller. It's a superficial wound, but I bet it hurts."
Danita swallowed it down, choking a little as it scraped her throat.
"Stay here." He kissed her forehead. "I'm going to help Ryan. We'll be back shortly."
She didn't want him to leave her, but she also didn't want Ryan to get hurt, so she didn't protest as Killian left. He leaped from the porch, shifting mid-air into his huge gray Bear. Danita listened anxiously, straining her ears, but as soon as the sound of Killian moving through the brush was gone, all was silent.
***
Despite the situation she found herself in, Danita did end up falling asleep. The adrenaline sapping her energy, combined with the painkiller Killian had given her and the lack of sleep she had had the past few nights sent her unconscious quickly. When she woke, her mind was crisp, and she felt much stronger.
The sound of running water and a voice drew her attention. Fear grabbed her, flooding her with adrenaline yet again. She got to her feet and inched towards the bathroom door, which stood ajar. The water was too loud for her to make out the voice. What if McGrath had shaken off the boys and come back? Worse, what if he had hurt them?
She skirted the bathroom door and grabbed a knife before she hurried back to the couch and laid down again.
Right at that moment, the water turned off. A man grunted with pain.
"I can't believe you let him get the drop on you like that." Killian's voice. Danita jumped to her feet. "I told you to be careful."
"Yeah, yeah."
Danita ran to the bathroom, throwing the door open. Ryan was stiffly drying himself off, Killian half-supporting him. Neither had a scratch on them. With a cry of relief, she flung herself at her Bears. She was crying before she even realized what she was doing. They enfolded her in their embrace, holding her gently as she cried.
"How did you find me?" she eventually choked out.
"You left your slippers and Ryan found a torn note in the trash."
Her slippers. Danita actually laughed. She had considered bringing them but decided she didn't want her favorite slippers tainted by memories of what was going to happen here.
It was a good thing she hadn't brought them, or her boys may never have known to look for her. She began shaking as the weight of what might have happened crashed down on her.
"It's okay." Ryan kissed her. "McGrath is dead. And we're fine."
"Other than a couple broken ribs." Killian glared at his partner. "Because this one was an idiot."
"They'll be fine by the end of the day. Don't worry her."
"You're the one who worried—"
Danita laughed and covered their mouths. "None of this, now. No fighting. Take me home. I don't want to be here anymore."
The boys immediately turned to her. Both of them embraced her, Ryan getting her shirt damp. Danita wasn't about to complain. She was safe. She was well and truly safe.